World Champion Rob Cross vows to chase down PDC world number one spot

Rob Cross insists his landmark World Championship win has not changed him as a person and has now his sights set on dislodging Michael van Gerwen at the top of the world rankings.

Cross culminated a remarkable first season as a PDC professional by lifting the Sid Waddell Trophy at Alexandra Palace on New Year's Day, catapulting him to number three in the PDC Order of Merit.

The 27-year-old has now established himself among the sport's biggest box office attractions and will make his eagerly-awaited Premier League debut in Dublin on Thursday.

Cross began the new season with a 10-3 rout of Ian White at the Unibet Masters on Friday and after undertaking numerous media commitments following his world title triumph, he admitted: "I feel a little but rusty after the three weeks off.

"You win the Worlds and you need the two weeks to do the media and all that stuff, but after that, I was ready to come back.

"It's definitely set in now, it's amazing really and just the rise of the year last year.

"Instead of coming into competitions believing I can win, now I know I can win them.

"The popularity and the media was different over January, everything was different in a way but I've still not changed as a person."

Cross picked up a record £400,000 in prize money for his World Championship exploits, catapulting him to third position and within sight of Peter Wright and Michael van Gerwen.

The Hastings ace insists he will not rest on his laurels in 2018 and has targeted the coveted world number one spot which MVG has made his own since 2014.

"I've still got that goal to be number one and that's where I want to be," added Cross, who recently treated his family to a holiday at Disneyland.

"We went to Disney for four days, that's about all I could spare!

"To see the kids' faces when they were enjoying themselves, that was brilliant.

"I think I needed that little break with them but now talking for the future, we go back to work and keep getting better."